GPS Location

The term "GPS" is a device generally used for tracking and navigation. In our case, it had a different meaning, particularly on Saturday, April 1, at the Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Center (NAPWC). It had been quite a while since we visited this place and our expectations weren't that high. After parking our car we walked to the edge of the pond. There we met three young ladies (Aly, Ria and Anj) who were doing some bird watching. After introducing ourselves and doing some bird talk, I looked at the pond and some birds of the Ardeidae family. Then at a distance, I noticed some movements and got excited when I realized what they were - a pair of Greater Painted Snipes! (Henceforth refered to as GPS). We did not expect this species to be seen here since they are quite uncommon. The last we saw some GPS were at the Camelia Homes Subdivision in Bulacan way back in 2017. Unfortunately they were a bit far that I only got some documentary shots. The female is the more colorful one.

After a while the pair of GPS left. It was then that took shots at the members of the heron family - Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Egret and Yellow Bittern

A pair of Pacific Swallows even landed not too far from us and offered some photo ops.

Happy that we got into the GPS location, our young lady companions took a group shot with us.

Infanta Sad

It was sort of an impromptu decision to go birding in Infanta on Christmas Day. Initially our plan was to go to Baras, but being Christmas we thought that the Palo Alto would be closed to visitors. Another reason that made us decide on Infanta was that being a holiday, there would be less "traffic" particularly bikers along the way. Thankfully, our hunch was right and we arrived at our destination faster than expected. 

Our birding started well with a very cooperative Flaming Sunbird enjoying the red hibiscus flowers not that far from where we stood.

 

Unfortunately that was one of the very few instances we got to photograph the local avian population. We spent almost three hours birding the area from kilometer 93 to 110 and we only were able to take pictures of three other species: the Elegant Tit - there was a flock that frolicked among the trees across the street.

 

Were it not for its loud whistling, we would not have been able to see the solitary Philippine Fairy Bluebird.

 

And finally, Cynthia got a few and not so good shots of a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

 

On our way back we also got some backlit photos of a couple more of the more "common" birds like the Brown Shrike and Pacific Swallow.

 

We did hear some other birds such as Flowerpeckers and Philippine Bulbuls but never had a chance to see any of them.

It was indeed a very sad and disappointing trip seeing only six species in more than two hours of birding. Most of the private places where we used to able to get in, thanks to the very friendly owners/overseers, were now open as resorts and had a lot of guests when we passed by.

As we were having lunch at The Gathering Cafe, we both agreed that it would be a while before we return to this place.

 

Too Little, Too Late

Recent postings in Facebook of some beautiful birds taken in Infanta by our friends made us consider going there to try our luck. Again, because I was told that there are several checkpoints on the way, I was a bit concerned that we may not be allowed to go through, being senior citizens. Then Cynthia wisely said, we wouldn't know unless we tried.

Saturday we were set to go. To my shock, our car wouldn't start! I did a quick prayer and tapped on the battery terminal. Thank God the car started and never gave us any trouble afterwards. At the first checkpoint in Tanay, the soldiers were very strict. The vehicle ahead of us was asked to turn around. When it was our turn, the soldier asked where we are going. I replied (in English) that we plan to go birdwatching along the road in Real going to Infanta. To our surprise, he smiled and let us go through. 

As we reached our destination, our first stop was at Francis' house. Unfortunately he was at work. His wife was so nice and even pointed a Pacific Swallow perched just below their roof.

We thanked her and we moved on. Surprisingly, there weren't birds by the roadside probably because the hagimit trees were no longer in fruit. We proceeded to the area behind the chapel. There we met a group of bird photographers led by Mark Ghee. They told us that they saw an Amethyst Brown Dove and Philippine Fairy Bluebirds. As we waited for these birds to reappear, one of the guys pointed at a tiny bird moving around. We took some photos of the very active Buzzing Flowerpecker.

Without any more birds seen or heard the group decided to leave. Cynthia and I stayed behind hoping that some bird, any bird, would appear. Then came a flash of yellow-orange. "Scarlet Minivet!" I excitedly told my wife. This was the first time we've seen this species here in the Philippines!

Happy that we got good shots of this colorful species, we climbed back to where our car was parked. At an open space we saw a couple of Large-billed Crows at a distance roosting on a pine tree. I got a shot at one of them. 

That open space was where we used to see a Paddyfield Pipit. However, we didn't see any this time. As  we exited that place, by the roadside, we saw two Paddyfield Pipits!

It was almost 11 am and as we were about to leave, we made a short stop at Gina's Garden. There Cynthia was able to get a shot at a Philippine Fairy Bluebird.

It was quite disheartening that in more than 3 hours of birding we only were able to photograph six bird species! We were too late because the usual trees that attract the birds were no longer fruiting.

Flame and Fortune

Having seen the recent posts in Facebook lately of the Flame-breasted Fruit Dove by our birding friends, I told my wife that I wanted to do that too. Early Tuesday morning, we drove to Infanta. 

It was foggy as we approached our destination. Despite the directions given me by our friend, Bong, I (being direction-challenged) still couldn't locate the place where the Fruit Dove was seen. It was good fortune that while I was pondering where to proceed, another friend, Loel, stopped his vehicle when he saw our car. He told us that he and his friend Joel were actually going to the Fruit Dove place and asked us to follow them.

As we entered the site we met fellow birders Fidel, Steve, and George. It was about 8:30 in the morning and Kamote (who is the caretaker of the place) informed us that one of the parent doves would leave the nest between 10 to 11 am and perch on a nearby branch. That would be the time for the photo-ops.

While waiting, we experienced some strange weather phenomenon (climate change?): It would drizzle a bit, clear up, then a bit of sunshine, followed by a heavy downpour. This happened about 3 times in a span of one hour. Once again, good fortune was on our side - at around 9:30 there was a lull in the precipitation. That was when one of the parents perched in full view. All of us took the opportunity to take photos of our target bird.

Having met our "quota" for the day, we told our birding buddies that we will explore the road until kilometer 106. Unfortunately, there weren't any birds along the way and when we got to Km. 106 there was another heavy downpour. 

After the rain ceased we saw a few Pacific Swallows drying up.

Along the road in one of our stops, a Philippine Serpent Eagle flew by taking advantage of the bit of sunshine.

A little after 11 am we checked out Kamote's place again. Apparently the Fruit Dove never showed up again after our encounter with it earlier. Except for Loel and Joel, the other bird photographers have already left. As we were about to board our car, Cynthia noticed some movements at the trees across the road. We were fortunate enough to add two more species to our list that morning: The Elegant Tit and the Flaming Sunbird.

Was it fortune that had our birding sortie start with a Flame-breasted Fruit Dove and ended with a Flaming Sunbird?

3 and 1

Some people don't like 3-in-1 coffee. It's not real coffee they say. On the other hand, there are those who enjoy drinking it. It's convenient and comparatively cheaper than brewed coffee were the reasons they like it. In a way, there are some good and some not so good qualities in 3-in-1 coffee.

In a similar manner, we had some good and some not so good experiences in our birding trip to Infanta last Saturday. It was 3 and 1 - 3 misses and 1 hit. Our main targets that day were the Philippine Trogon, the Philippine Cuckoo Dove and the Flame-breasted Fruit Dove. We didn't see them - not a single one.

First, the Fruit Dove was a no show. And to think that it was there the whole day the day before according the caretaker of the place. The Philippine Trogon was there we were told, albeit only the female. However, getting to the place where she tends to her nest was a huge deterrent to these two senior citizens. The path going there was not that steep but it was slippery and I didn't want to risk our limbs and camera gear for this colorful bird. The Cuckoo Dove, we were informed, was also a no-show. Not a total loss because all three were not lifers for us anyway.

Now for the good news: we might have had 3 misses, but we did get 1 lifer. As we were about to board our car to go to the next birding spot, I saw a raptor gliding majestically against the blue sky. We both took shots and looking at the images we got, I was so elated to discover that it was a Rufous-bellied Eagle!

We got some photos of other birds in the area too. Still it was strange that the usual species that we used to see regularly here were somehow missing - such as the Sulphur-billed Nuthatch, Citrine Canary Flycatcher, Elegant Tit and Blue-headed Fantail. Instead we got the following:

Philippine Bulbul

Yellow-vented Bulbul

Immature Pacific Swallow

Warbling White-eye

10:30 am and we decided to call it a day. Lunch at the Gathering Cafe fell a bit below expectations. Maybe we should have ordered a 3-in-1 coffee? 

Look to the Rainbow

It was still dark as we traversed the road going to Infanta. There was intermittent precipitation - sometimes a soft drizzle, other times a good amount of rainfall. Somehow this did not discourage us. We've been through this experience before and almost always it became sunny when we arrived at our destination. Actually we were glad that finally rain came. There was an ongoing water crisis in MetroManila attributed to the drought caused by El Nino. This downpour would somehow mitigate such problems.

The sun was up when were about half-way to where we intend to go birding. We stopped by the roadside so we could enjoy our takeout breakfast. As I looked behind me I saw this gorgeous rainbow in the horizon.

Rainbows are symbols of hope and of promises of good things to come. We took that as an assurance that we would have a good birding morning.

About half past seven, we were at the Asuncion property. We asked Hanny, the caretaker, if the Philippine Dwarf Kingfisher, which our friend, Bong, saw and photographed just two days ago, was still there. Unfortunately, not anymore, he said. Even the Cream-bellied Fruit Dove was already gone, he told us almost apologetically. Was seeing the rainbow not working at all?

We proceeded to km 107 and our hoped for Paddyfield Pipit gave our diminishing hopes a much needed boost.

Then a Blue Rock Thrush added more zeal to our photographic endeavors.

Pacific Swallows were taking a break from their morning flights.

Actually, what we were really looking for was the fruiting hagimit tree (trees?). Friends have posted photos recently of the various birds enjoying such fruits. Eventually we found one. However, the fruits were now almost gone. The only bird

we saw there was a Buzzing Flowerpecker.

We did see other birds such as a Bicolored Flowerpecker, a Guaiabero, and a Philippine Fairy Bluebird, but they were so skittish that we were not able to get any shots at all.

It was while waiting and hoping that more birds would come to the fruits that a mixed flock came passing by - led by a Sulphur-billed Nuthatch.

The Elegant Tits were bolder and sometimes would perch not far from we were, albeit not too long, as they would go after some unfortunate insect.

The Blue-headed Fantails were also very active in their pursuit of their morning repasts.

After the flock left, we also decided to look for more hagimit trees. Sad to say none of those we saw had fruits in them. Before we called it a day we stopped by the only tree with the fruits. Despite a long wait we didn't see anything new except for some Philippine Bulbuls.

Even though we did not see the species we were hoping to photograph (and possible lifers) we were still happy that we got good pictures of some colorful birds of the area. Sometimes it is when we do not get what we wanted that we get to appreciate the things we tend to overlook.

It was like looking at the rainbow all over again.

Twice Around the Block

It had become almost a daily routine for my wife and I to walk around our condominium area; first at the "Great Lawn" then around the block. Of course, each time we do so, we do some birdwatching on the side. Lately we've been seeing some new species, aside from the regular ones we see daily since we started our routine almost a year ago.

This morning I decided to bring along a camera, the one with the shorter lens. As we walked around the lawn, I was shocked that there were no birds at all! Even the very common Eurasian Tree Sparrows (ETS) which were always feeding on the grassy area (we even counted about 15 of them). This time there was just one and it was so skittish that I wasn't able to take a shot at it.

At the ground level, as we were about to finish going around the block, we were again surprised at the scarcity of the avian population. Even the distant bare tree where Collared Kingfishers used to hang out was devoid of any species of birds. We even joked that the reason for that was because I brought a camera along.

As we passed by the guard house at the entrance, we heard the "kurukutuk" of a Zebra Dove. Cynthia tried to locate the source of that call and failed miserably on that. Then we saw a brown bird fly from the tree in front of us and landed on the roof of the restaurant across from where we were.

As we neared our building, the ETS seemed a bit friendlier. Now some individuals were actually posing to be photographed.

Even the Pacific Swallows decided to perch on a ledge.

Then I noticed some commotion by the palm trees near where cars were parked. I moved a little closer and was thrilled to see a couple of Lowland White-eyes searching for their breakfast. As is their habit, they were hyperactive in their search for insects and quite difficult to track.

Encouraged by the apparent turn around of our birding luck, we decided to take another walk around the block. As we approached the entrance to the workers area, a Yellow-vented Bulbul was greeting the morning.

All of a sudden a flock of Asian Glossy Starlings came and fed just a few meters in front of us.

We then moved to the place next to the river. This was where had observed both Philippine Pied Fantails and Scaly-breasted Munias regularly the past week or so. However, when we stopped by this place in our earlier walk, both species were absent. This time we searched the area again and still neither showed up. We were about to leave when, the Fantail popped up at its usual perch on top of the wall.

Cynthia then went to look at the other bare tree where Collared Kingfishers usually roost. They (there were always a pair) were not there when we passed by this place earlier. This time my wife waved at me and pointed at the now present kingfisher.

While photographing the distant and backlighted bird, we noticed a munia fly by carrying a piece of grass. We returned to where the Pied Fantail was because it was below that wall that the munia picks the blade of grass it carries to its nest. Sure enough, the tiny brown bird was now doing its routine.

We agreed to go back to the entrance to the workers place and see if any bird would perch at the far tree across. There was a White-breasted Woodswallow waiting for its turn to soar over the grove of trees.

What surprised us was a flock of nine Coppersmith Barbets all perched on that tree!

A closer look at one of them

What started off as a disappointment turned out be a productive photo session with the local birds. Maybe we should walk twice around the block from now on.